Dax Shepard Shares The Tear-Inducing Moment When His Dying Father Met Kristen Bell’s Unborn Baby

Dax Shepard is about to become a father this spring with his fiancee Kristen Bell — who he already refers to as his “wife.” But back in December when Dax’s 62-year-old father was dying of small-cell lung cancer, Kristen “introduced” her father-in-law to his grandchild. And there’s a tear-jerking photo to accompany such an amazing tale.

Dax writes on his tumblr that he got word that his father, Dave Robert Shepard Sr., was passing away on December 30th, 2012. After a whirlwind of film promotion, shooting, and some healthy father-son bonding time, Dax arrives at the hospital to see that his father can no longer sit up on his own. He describes him as a “250 pound baby.” Enter pregnant Kristen Bell:

At one point, and unbeknownst to both of us, my wife walked into the room. She had flown in from LA without any warning. It was a surprise. It was an amazing, incredible, perfectly timed surprise. She lifted her shirt up and he put his hand on her swollen stomach. He left it there for the better part of an hour. He was smiling from ear to ear, sitting contently, unable to put together a sentence, but still capable of connecting to the new family member we were creating. He wasn’t going to make it to the birth, but that didn’t get in the way of him meeting the new baby. It was an emotional and triumphant moment. One I will never forget. If I live to be a thousand, I will still be in debt to my wife for giving him that one last thrill.

You’re welcome.

(photo: daxtumbler.tumblr.com)